R Balki says he wrote Pad Man script while Twinkle Khanna was writing a short inspired by Arunachalam Muruganantham, although they are distinct adaptations

Twinkle Khanna

Even as fans await Akshay Kumar’s upcoming biographical drama Pad Man with anticipation, cinephiles continue to harbour the notion that the film is a cinematic adaptation of a leaf off Twinkle Khanna’s latest book. However, director R Balki tells mid-day that he wasn’t abreast with Khanna’s short story on the same subject when she requested him to draft a script for a cinematic outing.

R. Balki

Social entrepreneur Arunachalam Muruganthanam, who created a low-cost sanitary napkin-making machine, had caught the attention of Khanna. “Twinkle had met Muru [Muruganthanam] and she, along with Akshay, told me that they wanted to make a film on the man,” says Balki. Given that the trio was involved in conversation with Muruganthanam as part of research for the film, Khanna decided to pen her short story for the book The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad, simultaneously.

Muruganantham

“So, the book and the script were written at the same time. I didn’t know what Twinkle was writing, and she didn’t interfere with the script. Yes, we were having discussions about the man, but, I hadn’t read the book and she didn’t have a clue about the script. Surprisingly, we both finished writing at the same time.” The exercise, as Balki calls it, made for an interesting observation for Khanna and him. “It is like having two different adaptations of the same man’s life. One was literary, the other, cinematic.”

However, the filmmaker asserts that his script, and hence the film, is also a reflection of Khanna’s vision of the man. “Making a film on this person is an opportunity I didn’t want to miss.”

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In an exclusive chat held at the mid-day office, writer and social-media sensation Mrs Funnybones Twinkle Khanna shines a light on fame and films, as she turns producer with the Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Pad Man’

Twinkle Khanna with Team mid-day. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar

You mentioned you haven’t given an interview as a producer before. To ease you in therefore, how about we start with what I’m sure you’ve been asked all your life: Twinkle, are you really named after the nursery rhyme?The apocryphal tales from my childhood would suggest that I was named (Twinkle) because it rhymed with sprinkle and sparkle. Luckily, I wasn’t named Wrinkle.

What’s wrong with Wrinkle?Well, Wrinkle would just be slightly worse than Twinkle. At least, here you’re shining, there you’re sagging. Having said that, for very long, I didn’t like my name. I fought against it. But as with everything else, my perspective (on this) was influenced as much by literature as life. I read Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter Of Maladies, which has a short-story about a girl with a fancy Bengali name, who insists on introducing herself to everyone as Twinkle – her ‘pet name’. everyone is baffled by this, including her husband. And she’s a popular, cool girl, who still insists on going by Twinkle. So I thought – if she’s okay with it, I can pull it off as well!

Was there a connection between Twinkle (in that short story), and you? Did you ever meet or ask Jhumpa Lahiri?Well I think there was a paragraph in there about an actress from Bombay, by the name of Dimple (Twinkle’s mother). I guess she did kinda…

Also read: Boss Lady! Twinkle Khanna proves why she is the ‘Khiladi’ of Twitter

Oh, so there was a reference.I don’t know if it was completely directed at me. But it certainly did change my perspective!

The other name you’re equally well-known by is Mrs Funnybones.I seem to have a penchant for really funny names.

That would obviously be because you have a funny bone. Also, I hear, the name comes from you being accident-prone, you’ve managed to break a lot of bones.I’ve broken both my legs, arms, collarbone. I’ve limped for most of my life, which strangely enough I stopped after 40, so some things do get better with age. Mrs Funnybones was a handle I had essentially made to anonymously troll people on Twitter. But the day I decided to (officially) join (Twitter), Twinkle Khanna was already taken. And I didn’t want to be ‘TheOneAndOnlyTwinkleKhanna’ (God that sounds really bad), or ‘TheReal…’ Since I already had MrsFunnyBones, I went with it. When I did join, one of the politicians had been slapped. My first tweet was, “What a slap Sirji.” My family immediately said that I should get off this platform. This is not for me!

Now when you call yourself Mrs Funnybones, and write columns that are inherently funny, is there too much pressure to be funny at all times?Now the good thing about hiding behind the persona of Mrs Funnybones – I mean that’s not really me, it’s a projection – is that I’m not supposed to be amiable, I’m just supposed to be myself. And cracking lame jokes comes easier to me than minding my P’s and Q’s, so I’m alright there. I used to feel the pressure in the beginning, but then realised that I just have to be myself, and really, how wrong can you go with that?

You’ve said before that since you were fat while growing up, humour became your natural defense mechanism. Is that cliche about fat people being funny really true?It’s not about fat people – it’s about odd people being funny, while finding a way to fit in, making fun of others, before others can attack you. I mean, how non-conventional could I be? I was in a position where people would be nice to me, because of who my parents were. And they were also mean to me for the same reason. I had an odd name. I was the fattest girl, which is great, because I could sit on everyone in class, and beat them up. And I feel lucky to have been an oddball, forced to develop other skills. Because if I was really the prom queen, what would I be doing right now? Staring at my position – in my 40s, with the thing I banked on (beauty) depleting?

Going back to pressures of humour, I know stand-up comedians in particular, who are headaches to hang out with – they just keep thinking of repartees, comebacks, puns, during conversations. It’s impossible to talk to them in a social setting!Well, unfortunately, that describes me as well. And I do try really hard not to (fall into the trap), so I do my yoga to tell myself, “It’s alright. I don’t have to have the last, punch line!”

The other thing about humour is its decline that one senses in general. Would you agree?You’re telling me about it? (laughs). I definitely think so. But I’m divided on this (issue). There are certain things (we were used to) that I feel weren’t politically correct -culturally, discriminatory, racist. And we’re not okay with that anymore. But our funniest jokes used to be about other people. The other side of me feels sad, because we’re losing that too. Or I’m losing opportunities!

There’s also the element of an exponentially growing number of holy cows that you simply can’t make fun of anymore. Or is that just a social-media thing?My (Twitter) bio says that nothing is sacred, except laughter. And why do Hindu boys worship their mothers? Because their religion tells them to worship the cow! Clearly I’m the wrong person to talk to about holy cows.

Did you get trolled for it?No!

Since you write opinion, that’s the other thing happening, where every perspective is presently being boxed, while individuals are being conveniently reduced/diminished to labels: Bhakts, Libtards, and so on. Do you notice that?I also see that if you write something ‘Left-Liberal’, as you’d call it, you get trolled majorly. I have a formula. Once I was writing a column about building a nation of tyranny on corpses of soldiers, and I began with saying that ornithologists can see a distinction between birds. I didn’t get trolled, because most people didn’t understand what ornithologist means, and they left it alone (laughs).

Politically, socially, your husband (Akshay Kumar) holds a totally separate world-view from yours. Is that fair to say?I’d say our social, political ideologies, sense of humour, are very different. What’s interesting is that after the first few years, we gave up trying to change each other. What we did instead was start to learn from each other. Luckily all his strengths are my weaknesses, and vice versa. What would I learn if we were more like each other anyway? I really believe two peas in a pod died of inertia. And we are not like that. So we continue to grow. Marriages essentially fail, when you try to clone the other person to become like you, it’s not possible.

But he’s protective of your public opinions, censoring your columns, we hear, cautioning you against going too far?We’re two different brains. Mine is a washing machine, whirling, chaotic. His thoughts are neatly folded in the closet of his mind. I need his stability to hem me in. He needs me to push him out of his comfort zone.

Why does it feel like we’re reading a perfectly-worded column of yours?What can I say, I’m smart, you don’t get to meet too many of those (laughs). So in a certain situation, he’s only trying to protect me from the fact that there’d be people throwing stones at our house. And I appreciate that. Because I could, sometimes, get into a lot of trouble on my own.

Well you do represent ‘soft power’ – having grown up in the limelight – which inevitably make for soft-targets. What’s the worst sort of targeting you’ve faced for your opinions? Have they percolated offline?Well I had an elderly lady accost me at a hospital once, while I was waiting for my mother-in-law’s test reports, and she kept asking me what I had against Yogi Adityanath. And she was a really old lady, and I kept telling her this was not the right time, and she just went on regardless.

Given excessively famous parents (Rajesh Khanna, Dimple), I’m sure you’ve been used to this sort of intrusion all your life, no?I had no choice over where I was born. But being married to a movie-star was my choice. Still it (intrusion) is not something I’m comfortable with. I prefer sitting behind my desk – that’s my life. When I’m pushed out there, of course, I have, with time, developed the abilities to deal with it too.

One of the challenges of your life, you’ve said before, was to be normal. What did you mean by that?I’ve had a turbulent life, first of all. I went from living in (my father’s) mansion, going to school in a convertible, to shifting into my grandmother’s house, where my sister and I would sleep on mattresses on the floor. I would go everywhere in rickshaws that I absolutely loved. My friends had nicknamed me ‘Rickshaw Rani’ for some reason. (This carried on) until I got the signing amount for my first movie, and I put a down-payment for my car – a white esteem, which was a big thing. I could have borrowed my mother’s car. But we were raised in a certain way, seeing my mom working – raising not just me, but my sibling, and my grandparents. I realised early on that I needed to be financially independent. So I don’t know if I’ve had that semblance of a normal life, if you know what I mean.

I read a lovely column of yours (it also had Akshay’s story in it) about taking suburban trains, and was quite surprised that you did take the locals growing up.How else would I commute? As I said, I had a convertible until I was 10, and then it vanished. But more than that, it was about a work ethic, and a mindset. I went to boarding school, the most defining time of my life, where I turned from a complacent child, who came last in a class of 37, to always being in the top three. Which is true for children in general – it’s the circumstances that propel them to go either way, not just their abilities. So the misfortunes, that I thought were devastating, turned out to be assets.

Looking at the post 3 Idiots phase, where so much premium is put on ‘passion’, there must be kids who probably want to become engineers or doctors, but their parents will probably force them to become poets! That’s a joke. But this actually happened to you; you’d scored 97 in math…Yeah, I wanted to be a chartered accountant. But my mom didn’t even pay attention (to that). The thought was just thrown out of the window. I had applied for my (CA) entrance exam, during my second year in commerce. And I used to keep getting these (film) offers. There was Time Machine, which Shekhar Kapur was making, that I said no to, and many others that kept coming.

So it was clear to your mom that you would be in the movies?She told me that this is the time (that I can pursue movies). I can always do other things later. And it worked out. And like I said, I really wanted to get financially independent quickly, and this was a good way. Here’s something that you do in all your interviews: you totally downplay your acting career, as if it never happened, or say that you sucked at it. You’ve had 17 lead-actor credits against your name, that’s a lot! Were you writing reviews at that time? No. Otherwise, I would’ve asked if you’ve ever written a good review about me!

Well your last film, Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega (2001), was good. Shah Rukh Khan, for instance, is known as Baadshah (1999) for the film where you were the heroine…What’s the point of all these things? I don’t even like my children watching my movies. And my son is such an a**. He keeps replaying a clip from the film Jaan (1996), where I am kissing around a man’s nipple. He made a collage out of this for one of my birthdays. It’s sick [laughs]. I don’t think my family has been supportive of what you think has been a great career!

But you were pretty much in the thick of things back in that decade.All I wanted to do was get back home. On sets, I would read books. There were times when I’d be sitting, and knitting, and my spot-boy would tell me, ‘Aap mat aisa kariye. Sab log Auntyji bolenge.’ So you had to live up to an image, and I wasn’t that person.

If you felt like the ‘outsider’, you’d actually have the best observations to make. So much of writing is reminiscence, isn’t it? Still, you’ve never written about showbiz/movies.I couldn’t really see people as clearly as I can now. Though, of course, you couldn’t miss some people who were in a kaleidoscope of colours. I had a (male) co-actor who cancelled shoot, and he called me the next day to say that he was really sick, because he had a problem with his uterus [laughs]. I didn’t really feel like saying anything after that.

What’s the craziest story that you remember from a set?This uterus story was really funny. And he (the same actor) always had strange medical issues. Once we were shooting in Switzerland, and after pack-up he said that his ear was numb, and the doctor was pleased that he got himself checked up in time – otherwise his brain would have dislocated! And I was like, this really can’t be happening. So I have all these weird stories but somewhere, somehow, I don’t enjoy writing about them.

Have things changed a lot in the movies since?Well, I haven’t produced any films, except Padman.

Are you going to disown Tees Maar Khan? You’re credited as a producer there too, among a couple of other films.My husband just put my name, because I was lucky for him [laughs]. I haven’t done anything in Tees Maar Khan. Padman is the only movie I have produced. Well, the movie business has completely changed so far as women, and women’s roles, are concerned. even the way women are treated has changed drastically.

Were women in the movies treated as dim-witted back then?Yes, most of us were. Which is why you are surprised that I come up with these quotes!

Which brings me to a point about intelligence, and acting. How intrinsically linked do you think the two are? Do you really need to be an intelligent person to be a good actor?It depends on how you define intelligence. If you are looking at somebody who is emotionally intelligent, then yes, they would be good at acting. But someone who is well-read might not be a good actor. I don’t think intelligence has anything to do with your abilities. The ability of an actor is to feel emotions, and enact them. I didn’t have that.

I’ve met actors who seem totally clueless and blank about the world they live in, and yet they shine on screen when they have to portray complex characters. Do you think it just comes naturally?I think being able to act, as a quality, is as inbuilt as being able to write, sing or dance. You can’t cultivate it. You are born with it. As for (some ) actors you meet who seem blank-even now when I do a few commercials for brands, on the sets, there’s just a whole bunch of people only talking about the current styles, all day. So you can’t blame people for not being vocal (on stuff about the world), because their entire day is either spent in performing, or investing in the way they look. Where is the time to invest in their brains?

What did you do to not be in that bubble?I was never in the bubble, that’s the whole point. By the end of it, I started doing my own hair and make-up, because I got bored, just sitting, and looking myself in the mirror. I never felt that I would fit in.

Clearly you fit in quite well now as a bestselling author; and a first-time producer.Yes (laughs). We keep telling kids that they have to be good at sports, or look a certain way. But it’s your flaws, which make you unique, and that pay off in the end. By the time you’re 10, your personality and attributes get completely defined. And if you play on those attributes, and strengths, those are things that really hold you as an adult, and (drive you towards) success.

Audience questions: I’m told you literally had to chase Arunachalam Muruganantham around to get rights for the story of Padman? [Mohar Basu]Yes, for some reason he couldn’t just pick up the phone. When we finally met, he told me a lot of people were chasing him too. He mentioned Abhay Deol, Akshaye Khanna, who wasn’t Akshaye Khanna, it was actually me. But I knew I really wanted to write the story and that it needed to get out there to every household. So I just chased him relentlessly for, I think, seven to eight months. I could have had another baby in that time [laughs].

Do you see television and web streaming platforms as the future of cinema? [Amit Karn]For me, it (the future) is in immersive, virtual reality, where we’re completely immersed in an environment, within a scenario. That’s where we are heading. There is pollution, traffic. We’re not going to be able to leave our houses very soon. So where are we going to be? Living in cubicles, pretending (through headsets/glasses) that we are living in a much wider world.

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On the occasion of Bollywood actress-turned-author Twinkle Khanna’s birthday today, we look back at instances from 2017 when her tweets won the internet! She is Mrs Funnybones, truly!

Twinkle Khanna urged people to talk about menstruation

Twinkle Khanna, who is producing a film titled “Padman”, is campaigning to urge people to talk about menstruation

The importance of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is mostly neglected. Menstrual hygiene is a taboo subject; a topic that many women are uncomfortable discussing in public. “Girls and women continue to face significant challenges in managing menstruation – in a safe and hygienic manner because of low levels of awareness about menstruation and menstrual hygiene, lack of access to safe products, and lack of access to water, sanitation and hygiene services.

“Underlying this are widely held beliefs that consider menstruation to be polluting and menstruating girls and women as impure.”

Twinkle Khanna wanted to get away from her ‘pesky’ kids

We all know how Twinkle Khanna loves shooting from the hip. Often, Tina has got into trouble over her snarky, yet funny tweets. She has quite a considerable following on the popular micro-blogging site Twitter and is known for her funny and hilarious tweets. Popularly known as ‘Mrs Funnybones’, Twinkle Khanna has authored two books ‘Mrs Funnybones’ and ‘The Legend Of Laxmi Prasad’.

This time, a post of hers on Instagram is sure to raise eyebrows. She has posted a picture of hers from Paris with the caption “Home away from home for the next few days #Paris #ThanksAirbnb #NoPeskyKidsThankGod #LiveThere.”

Twinkle Khanna reportedly took a dig at her former co-stars Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan

“So even the box office needed this Toilet eventually to break free from its constipation — ‘Toilet: Ek Prem Kath’. Hit Hit Hooray,” tweeted Twinkle, who is known on social media as Mrs Funnybones.Twinkle’s post hinted at the lukewarm performance of films like “Jagga Jasoos” and superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s “Jab Harry Met Sejal”.

Twinkle Khanna shared a picture of a man defecating on thebeach ,but stayed defiant after backlash

Twinkle Khanna received a lot of backlash on social media, when her picture of a man defecating on beach went viral. People slammed her on social media for being elitist and also called out her hypocrisy. People even accused her to be outraging the modesty of a man. Several op-eds were written about Twinkle Khanna’s apathy and raising genuine concerns about public defecation.

But Twinkle Khanna, seems to be defiant and even justified her tweet saying that it is not her fault if people found her tweet ‘sardonic’. She has even tweeted to an article criticising saying that if people can afford to drink with friends, they can afford to use public loos or buy a cup of tea in a restaurant and use the loo.

Twinkle Khanna supported her friend Hrithik Roshan, when he got dragged in a controversy by Kangana Ranaut

Twinkle Khanna took to Twitter to support Hrithik Roshan. She shared the star’s statements and wrote, “Godspeed My Friend.”

Twinkle Khanna defended her husband, actor Akshay Kumar, in the wake Of a controversy which erupted after he passed what was seen as an off-colour remark at stand-up comic Mallika Dua. The colloquial word ‘bajao’ is believed to carry violent or sexual undertones.Twinkle, however, argued that “bajao” was a “phrase that both men and women use” and called it a “pun on the words and actions related to the ringing of the bell”.She posted a lengthy statement on Twitter, saying that she wanted to ‘address the controversy’ on the sets of ‘The Laughter Challenge. “It’s a colloquial phrase that both men and women use – for instance, ‘I am going to bajao him/her’ or I got bajaoed.’Red FM even has a tagline ‘Bajate Raho’ all without sexist connotations,” she said

Twinkle Khanna takes on ‘Bhai’ fans

Twinkle Khanna received flak on social media for ‘insulting’ Salman Khan in her column. Twinkle Khanna, in her satirical take on matrimonial ads for a daily newspaper, wrote, “Alliance Wanted For One Of India’s Oldest But Most Eligible Bachelors: Dashing, non-vegetarian, successful and muscular Khandani boy. Excellent in dance, drama and art. Girl must be pretty, slim and enjoy long drives off the beaten path. Bride must not be very talkative, as groom cannot tolerate any buck buck. Caste no bar. Contact Sultan@Bhaijaan.com.”

This irked Salman Khan fans who trolled her on social media for taking a dig at ‘Bhai’. Some even threatened to boycott her husband Akshay Kumar’s films.

Mrs Funnybones, however, had the perfect response to the trolls. Here’s what she wrote:

I write social,political satire-will not examine an ant & spare an elephant because I fear getting trampled by the herd #TrollProof#CarryOn

— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones)
December 25, 2016

To all the Bhai fans ‘Merry Christmas’ #TrollProofpic.twitter.com/jAilgq1ZfA

— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones)
December 25, 2016

‘Befikre’ Twinkle Khanna

In her column for a newspaper, Twinkle Khanna gave her take on SC’s order on making national anthem mandatory at cinema halls. She wrote:

“But I still can’t wrap my head around how and why I am obliged to feel patriotic when I have merely booked tickets for ‘Befikre’, and am about to see Ranveer Singh in his tight red underwear.”

Feeling patriotic when you’ve booked tickets for Befikre and are about to see Ranveer Singh in his red underwear? https://t.co/vEc933bESKpic.twitter.com/o1N47tYOOa

— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones)
December 11, 2016

Twinkle Khanna takes a dig at PM Narendra Modi’s demonetisation move

Twinkle Khanna took a funny jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation move by posting a picture of ‘currency’ that could be the new Rs 500 note and Rs 2 coin by 2018.

Someone tells me-2018 this will be the Rs500 note and Rs2 coin-Under given circumstances-probable or they just taking the Mickey out of me! pic.twitter.com/tA4kVb6Y95

— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones)
December 4, 2016

Twinkle Khanna becomes victim of autocorrect

Twinkle Khanna was texting one of her friends and complimented her for looking beautiful in a white dress. Autocorrect, however, had something else to say!

Why does this happen only to me ? Autocorrect I hate you! pic.twitter.com/tJ1U74njgU

— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones)
November 21, 2016

Twinkle Khanna’s take on Karva Chauth

These days by 40 u could be on the way to your 2nd marriage so what’s the point of fasting-don’t need the men to last that long anymore:)

— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones)
October 19, 2016

That is a possibility-so I checked longevity records-100 countries where men without anyone fasting for them live longer than Indian men:) https://t.co/rBspyZDzni

— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones)
October 19, 2016

Twinkle Khanna on why she won’t change her surname to ‘Kumar’

A lot of people bring this up,though not as stridently as this gentleman-Khanna it will always be #MarriedNotBrandedpic.twitter.com/q4JzS1bzd1

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had said, “Nowadays there is no value to the Nobel prize. When you award it to a 16-year-old girl who hasn’t done anything, what value is left? It has become a political joke.”

Twinkle tweeted: “Sri Sri got his nobel foot and half beard stuck in his mouth in a yogic pose that Baba Ramdev perfected a while ago #HolyMenAndHairyTales”

Soon after, all hell broke loose as several followers of Sri Sri’s Art of Living course started trolling her.

Twinkle was quick to delete the tweet and apologise with another post saying, “Didn’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings was meant to be a joke and am old enough to accept an error of judgement on my part (sic).”

Actress-turned-author Twinkle Khanna says she is hopeful that ‘Padman’ will ensure conversations around menstruation even with the boys and not just the girls

Twinkle Khanna’s debut film production ‘Padman’ is a biopic on Arunachalam Muruganantham, the inventor of a low-cost sanitary pad making machine in India and the role will be played by her husband and actor, Akshay Kumar. Actress-turned-author Twinkle Khanna says she is hopeful that the film will bring a spotlight on something that has been “hidden in the darkness” for so long.

Twinkle Khanna herself has met Smriti Irani, the minister of the current Information and Broadcasting and Textiles Minister in the Government of India.

Smriti has written that she enjoyed watching Twinkle Khanna and discussing about her upcoming film Padman. Twinkle herself, has also given information through the medium of Twitter that she has talked with Smriti and Maneka Gandhi regarding this subject. Twinkle Khanna said during the launch of the film’s songs that she is meeting a lot of people in the government and they have started discussions with them regarding the topic of menstruation and use of sanitary napkins.

Twinkle has said that she is trying her best to teach through this movie the need for sanitary napkins and how they should be made available . At the same time, Twinkle also suggested that parents should be talking about menstruation and sanitary napkins to both their girls and boys. She said that even boys need to be educated about the usage of sanitary pads and menstruation.

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In mid-day’s exclusive conversation series, Sit With Hitlist, the Khiladi of Bollywood, Akshay Kumar, reveals some interesting facts surrounding his author-actress wife Twinkle Khanna’s contribution to his film choices

While Karan Johar and Twinkle Khanna share a thick-bound friendship since they studied together in boarding school, it was Twinkle who helped Karan break the cocoon and conquer the world. Be it school debates or any extra-curricular activity, Tina (Karan fondly calls Twinkle as Tina) always stood beside him. The filmmaker has gone on record and said that Twinkle Khanna is the only woman he fell in love with.

Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna

Wanting to take this friendship ahead, Karan approached Twinkle for his directorial debut film ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’, with the hope of a given ‘Yes’ from her. Little did he know that she would reject the film. This rejection blew Karan away and then, as everyone knows, the role was played by Rani Mukerji, thus her screen name being Tina.

Divulging more about it, Akshay Kumar, in mid-day’s exclusive conversation series, Sit With Hitlist, told, “I also tell her about Kuch Kuch Hota Hai [1998]. Even that was offered to her. She read the script, and she didn’t understand it. Eventually, Rani [Mukerji] did that role. She still tells Rani, “Teri zindagi maine banayi [I made your life].” She’d actually thrown the script, and called it sh*t!”

Twinkle Khanna has a major role to play in the change of her husband Akshay Kumar’s film choices. ‘Mrs. Funnybones’ once told mid-day that in jest she keeps whispering in Akshay’s ears while he sleeps, “Do good films. Win awards.” and Twinkle said that Akshay whispers back into her ears, “Mela, Mela…” Such is the camaraderie the couple shares.

While Akshay bowls everyone with his acting prowess, wife, Twinkle has made the nation laugh with her witty and humorous writing. Though with contradicting nature, the couple shares a fabulous chemistry.

Read the in-depth ‘Sit With Hitlist’ interview of Akshay Kumar with mid-day, where the ‘Airlift actor also spoke about losing out on Aamir Khan’s film ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’ (1993), his first pay-cheque, his audition days and many other unknown fascinating facets from his life before hitting stardom.

We all know how our B-Town star kids have been painting the town red – thanks to their Instagram handles. But, one kid, a source told this diarist, is yet to warm up to the rich-life shenanigans and instead, has decided to pen a young adult novel.

Akshay Kumar

Despite sharing the good looks of his superstar dad, this boy, we hear, has taken after his mum, who’s made waves with her columns and books. No prizes for guessing that we are talking about Aarav, the teenage son of Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna. We can’t help but be curious about the subject of Aarav’s novel. Would it be based on his life, or that of his peers, who can’t get enough of the camera yet?

Twinkle Khanna was an honorary speaker at the women’s entrepreneurship summit in the United Nations yesterday. The actor-turned-entrepreneur-turned writer was part of a panel that spoke about ‘sparking confidence in girls with stars of today’.

Twinkle Khanna

This was part of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Day (November 19) celebrations. Twinkle has been vocal about women empowerment in her writings – the reason she was extended an invitation.

Yesterday, Twinkle Khanna issued an apology on social media for defending husband Akshay Kumar’s sexist comment to former co-judge Mallika Dua on The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. Last week, the star wife had added to the controversy by saying, “Humour should be seen in the right context.”

She had even poked fun at Mallika and her father, veteran scribe Vinod Dua. Twinkle wrote that the emotional outburst was due to the trolls, who dragged her children into the controversy.

She wrote, “I got pulled into this debate not as a social commentator, but as a wife and unlike my normal, slightly rational self (sic).” All’s well that ends well.

Akshay Kumar judges one of the comedy-reality shows on a popular television channel, with comedian Mallika Dua being one of the judges on the show. In a recent episode, Akshay Kumar had made a statement towards fellow acquaintance Mallika, which didn’t go down well with her and father Vinod Dua. The latter even slammed the actor on social media for making a ‘vulgar’ comment against her daughter. Akshay had said, “Mallika Ji aap bell bajaaiye, main aapko bajaata hoon.” Even, Mallika wrote a blog in which she penned her views about it.

This was followed by Akshay Kumar’s wife, Twinkle Khanna’s reaction. She defended him on Twitter saying, “Words, especially humour has to be seen in its right context. I have always stood up for freedom within comedy including defending AIB’s infamous roast on numerous occasions in the past and that is my stance even today. So kindly stop tagging me in this debate.” This wasn’t ending there; Vinod Dua called out the statement by Twinkle as “a prosaic excuse from an embarrassed wife.” Otherwise known for her wit, Mrs. Funnybones faced tremendous backlash on social media.

The author-actress has now posted another message on Facebook apologising for her previous comments, saying that her reaction was “purely emotional”. This is what her post reads: “Unwise Wisecracks As I reflect on my actions this past week, I realize that I got pulled into this debate not as a social commentator but as a wife and unlike my normal, slightly rational self, my reaction was purely emotional and without perspective, and I have been rather miserable about it ever since. I would like to apologize to everyone who felt that I was trivializing the cause of feminism especially because I strongly believe in equality and have been a feminist from the time I was a young woman, much before I even knew the term.

I think this came at a point where I was already reeling from an onslaught of abuse against various members of my family, which started with vicious and personal comments about my mother and went on to a widely shared open letter where the writer as a comeback for my comments about Karva Chauth tried to fling muck at every single member of my family.

So when in this latest episode regarding my husband, my five-year-old was also dragged in for something that she had absolutely nothing to do with, I reached breaking point. And with my protective instincts in overdrive, I reacted irrationally with the only tools I have that help me retain my sanity in this fishbowl existence -words and lame jokes -though they have got me into trouble often enough in the past as well. Once while embroiled in an earlier controversy (the story of my life it seems), I had written that a wise woman keeps her hands firmly in her pockets and does not accidentally unzip anything including her mouth. I am not this woman clearly, but I am going to try be a little wiser from now on.”

Sussanne Khan, who turns a year older today, celebrated her birthday with ex-husband Hrithik Roshan and close family and friends at a pub in Lower Parel, Mumbai. Twinkle Khanna, Karan Johar, Sonali Bendre, Gayatri Joshi and Zayed Khan joined the birthday celebration. Sussanne took to Instagram to share pictures from the party. She captioned them, “To all the beautiful people in my life… thank u for making me feel so special #birthdaygirl #happysmiles #mytribe (sic)”

Sussanne Khan celebrated her birthday with Twinkle Khanna and other friends

Hrithik Roshan, Zayed Khan and Sussanne Khan with friends at the birthday bash

Despite their divorce, Sussanne Khan and Hrithik Roshan maintain cordial relations. She has stood by Hrithik during his row with Kangana Ranaut. At an event in Mumbai recently, when Sussanne was asked about the Hrithik-Kangana feud, the interior designer dodged the question.

A few weeks ago, Sussanne hit back at Kangana on social media. She posted a picture with Hrithik and responded to the allegations made by Kangana and her sister Rangoli Chandel. “There is no allegation or sad plot that can have the weight to triumph over a good soul. #powerofthetruth #mafamilia #goodoverevil,” Sussanne had written.

Sussanne’s post came after Kangana Ranaut’s appearance on TV talk show ‘Aap Ki Adalat’, where she said that Hrithik should apologise to her publicly for causing her trauma after their alleged relationship ended.

Also read: This is how Sussanne Khan reacted on Hrithik Roshan-Kangana Ranaut’s fight

The ‘Queen’ actor also said her recent comment on her ‘Krrish 3’ co-star was not a ‘promotional’ gimmick, and she would continue to talk about him and their public feud whenever she is asked about it.

Kangana brought to the fore the controversy with Hrithik, which hit headlines last year, after she called him her ‘silly ex’ in an interview, followed by the two actors slapping legal notices on each other.

Also read: Hrithik Roshan and ex-wife Sussanne Khan spend quality time together

Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Khan tied the knot in 2000, parted ways in 2013 and got divorced in 2014. They are often seen spending quality time with their sons Hrehaan and Hridhaan, and are definitely setting parenting goals.

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